Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed for use in a number of applications that can take advantage of their unique combination of chemical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. In many instances, these properties can be tailored to the requirements of a particular application by adjusting any combination of carbon nanotube length, diameter, chirality, functionality, and like structural features. Various difficulties have been widely recognized in many applications when working with individual carbon nanotubes. These difficulties can include, but are not limited to, poor solvent solubility, limited dispersibility in composite matrices, inadequate purity, and the like. Without being bound by any theory or mechanism, it is believed that many of these issues can arise due to the strong van der Waals forces that occur between individual carbon nanotubes, thereby causing them to group into bundles or ropes, as known in the art. The extreme aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes can also lead to physical entanglement that can further contribute to these difficulties. The foregoing issues and others can often result in lower than anticipated property enhancements and/or inconsistent performance when individual carbon nanotubes are employed in a chosen application. Although there are various techniques available for de-bundling carbon nanotube ropes, bundles or agglomerates into individual, well-separated members, many of these techniques can detrimentally impact the desirable property enhancements that pristine carbon nanotubes are able to provide. In addition, widespread concerns have been raised regarding the environmental health and safety profile of individual carbon nanotubes due to their small size. Furthermore, the cost of producing individual carbon nanotubes may be prohibitive for the commercial viability of these entities in many instances.
In view of the foregoing, techniques for producing well-separated, individual carbon nanotubes while addressing at least some of the other foregoing difficulties would be highly desirable in the art. The present disclosure satisfies the foregoing needs and provides related advantages as well.